It’s already April 24th, which means the MLB draft is just a few months away and as a result, Major League Baseball has announced the 2025 draft bonus pools – the amount of money a team has to sign all of their draft picks.
If you go over the 0-5% threshold clubs are assessed a massive 75% tax on the overage as cited by Jim Callis in the article released by Major League Baseball. If a team goes even more than that, you are susceptible to losing future draft picks and a higher tax rate. So to say the least, teams want to stay within the allotted amount.
In 2024, the Atlanta Braves were allotted $7,765,000 and were able to sign every single one of their draft picks. With the growth in revenue from 2024, the bonus pools went up and as a result the Braves bonus pool rose to $9,081,100.
While the Braves are currently rated amongst the bottom in Major League Baseball when it comes to farm system ratings, there is a lot to like about the future. With the way some of the positional prospects have looked early this season, as well as the early returns from the 2024 draft, adding a strong 2025 draft (with a boost in bonus pool money) can really help turn the perception of Atlanta’s farm system around.